Senate Agriculture Committee, Jordan Valley farmers discuss foreign labor shortage

Senate Agriculture and Water Committee Chairman, Senator Akef Al Zoubi, said Tuesday that the Jordan Valley suffers from a labor shortage due to local workers shunning the sector and poor regulation by foreign labor recruiting agencies. He spoke at a meeting with Jordan Valley farmers, who highlighted the problem of foreign labor in the Kingdom's farming sector, top of which are constantly changing government regulations, particular those related to the number of workers in greenhouses and agricultural units. They also complained about rising foreign labor fees, which could reach JD430, as well as medical test fees, which led to the shortage of non-Jordanian workers and higher wages and production costs. The committee pledged to address the complaints with the labor and agriculture ministries and report back to the farmers. Source: Jordan News Agency